S-454/A-2421

“Permits a student to participate in a voluntary survey if the district sends prior written notification to the student’s parents”

NJEA supports A-2421 (Benson, Vainieri Huttle)/S-454 (Turner, Vitale). This legislation permits a student to participate in a voluntary survey if the district sends prior written notification to the student’s parents/guardians.

Under current law a school district is required to receive written consent from parents/guardians before administering surveys. This bill amends current law to allow students to participate in “voluntary” surveys upon written notice to parents/guardians so long as those parents/guardians have the ability to opt out if they do not want their child to participate. In other words, rather than requiring school districts to receive “active permission”, it allows them to seek “passive permission” when the survey is voluntary.

NJEA supports this legislation because it effectively balances the interests of parental control and student privacy with the needs of districts to gather the data necessary to make more informed decisions, assess needs and interests, or measure the progress of programs.